Visiting the Kinderdijk windmills as a day trip from Rotterdam was a unique learning experience in which we stepped back in time into the Dutch culture and history. Belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage, the Kinderdijk windmills are a proof of how the Dutch technology has evolved over the years working together with the nature to bring a place which naturally lies below to the sea level into a place where people live. The most incredible part of the story is that the windmills in Kinderdijk have a unique technology in the world and they are still inhabited, there being 19 windmills from which 2 of them are museums. The people who work and live into the windmill are called “millers” and by visiting the museums we had the chance to see how windmills operates and how people used to live there.
How to get to the Kinderdijk windmills from Rotterdam
The easiest way to get to Kinderdijk is by waterbus from Rotterdam Erasmusburg Ferry Terminal or Dordrecht Merwekade; it took us only half an hour to get from Rotterdam to Kinderdijk. There are 2 options for the waterbus: line 20 or line 202, but have in mind that outside the summer season the waterbus services are limited, so it is good to check out the time table before planning the trip ( here you will find the time table of waterbus.nl with all the hours and price of the tickets). We used the ov-chipkaarts to pay for the ticket, which is a single card that can be used everywhere in the Netherlands, for all types of public transportation, this option being cheaper than buying individual tickets. In my previous post I have described more about public transport in The Netherlands.
What to expect from a day trip to the Kinderdijk windmills
There are many options of spending a day to the Kinderdijk windmills: boat rides, bicycle tours or simply walking into the nature, alongside the canals and enjoying the beauty and uniqueness of the place. The entrance is 8 EUR (7 EUR if is bought online) and includes: access to the park, a film about the history of the windmills and how the technology evolved in order to make the place that is today, visiting 2 windmills museum and the audio guide, if you download their application. We had the chance to visiting the interior of a windmill and to find out what is like to live in a windmill. The windmill museum Nederwaard, also called Boezemmoled, was built in 1738 and belonged to the Hoek family for generations. A hundred years ago the Hoeks lived there together with their 13 children. It was a great discovery about their way of living into the windmill, what kind of clothes they wore and what did the children’s play with, what type of furniture they had and even listening to a working windmill.
During the morning, when is less touristy, the landscape is simply magical: we took the 08:30 a.m waterbus, arriving there at the opening time 09:00 a.m , so we had the chance to enjoy the nature and the beautiful bird songs, while the windmills were soaked into the soft light of the morning.
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